Ear muff



April 28, 1942- v. R. JOHNSON EAR MUFF Filed Dec. 18, 1939 Patented Apr.28, 1942 assist? warren stares PATENT caries EAR MUFF Victor E. Johnson,Chicago, Ill.

Application December 18, 1939, Serial No. 309,905

3 Claims.

My invention relates to ear mufis, and more particularly to the typeintended to form a pocket for the ear, and one of my main objects is toprovide an ear muff of this kind which extends fully to the base of theear, whereby to completely encase the ear.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ear muff which hasself-contained means to retain it on the ear.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ear muii which isexceedingly simple in construction and of a nature to be produced at lowcost.

With the above objects in view and any others which may suggestthemselves from the description to follow, a better understanding of theinvention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which-Fig. l is a side elevation of the novel ear muff Fig. 2 is a frontelevation;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the application of the ear muff.

In the field of ear muffs, the tendency has lately been to depart fromthe types which employ overhead or back straps or like retainingdevices. Individual ear muffs are more simple, but such as have come tomy attention are either clumsy or large, owing to the necessity of extramaterial to retain the ear muff to the ear. Some patents show attemptsto form an ear muff in the manner of a pocket, but the latter isemployed in part for external or internal means to retain the ear muffin place, so that parts of the pocket are open and expose the ear to thecold. I have therefore designed an ear muff which overcomes the abovedeficiencies, providing full protection and retention combined with aneat appearance.

In accordance with the foregoing, specific reference to the drawingindicates the novel ear muff at IE]. The same is in the form of asegment-shaped pocket whose back is shaped to follow the contour of thehuman ear. The muff is of a size to fit the average ear, although it maybe made slightly larger to provide more latitude in this respect withoutfeeling loose or appearing too conspicuous.

The front of the muff has an opening or entrance H materially shorterthan the body portion thereof. With the mufi made of wool, velour orother soft or warm material, it may be packed or stored in quantities inflat or closed position; however, when the mufi is handled or to beused, it will have an inherent tendency to open to a limited degree, asindicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The rim of the opening H is tucked in as indicated at I2 and secured tothe walls of the muif by stitching l3. Within the rim is confined anendless elastic band or cord It. This item maintains the rim of the muffat a minimum size, but permits the same to be distended in order tomount the mun upon the ear to assume the position indicated in Fig, 4.

As shown in Fig. 1, the mufi' is of a depth to fully encase the ear andplace the elastic rim it around the base thereof. Such rim, due to itselastic component, closely engages the ear at its base and retains themuff against departure or dislodgment. It is thus unnecessary to haveany devices or means for holding a pair of muiis together, so that thepresent article is in every sense an individual ear muff.

It will be evident from the above description that the novel ear muff,because of its uniform construction, need not be made for the right orleft ear necessarily, being suitable for either ear. All ear muffs canthus be made identical from the viewpoint of quantity production.Further, the present ear muff is a full-capacity pocket which closelyand completely encases the ear, protecting the whole ear against coldand presenting no projections or conspicuous formations. Because of itscompact formation, the novel ear muff requires a minimum of material.Further, its elastic rim is a handy and self-evident feature for theapplication of the mufi with a view to retaining the same on the car, sothat one need not learn or practice to put on the ear muff. Further, theelastic rim of the latter finds a suitable zone at the point of itsapplication, since the base of the ear is so much smaller than the lobethereof, furnishing a constricted area for engagement by the elastic rimin a position favorable to the retention of its hold. Further, thesimple nature of the ear muif makes it easy to carry in the pocket, inthe cuif of a sleeve or to keep a pair thereof in a small envelope forhandy use in case the wearer is outdoors and finds that the ears becomesensitive to the cold. Finally, the material and simple construction ofthe novel ear muff make it possible to manufacture the same economicallyand to sell the same at a low price.

While I have described the invention along specific lines, various minorchanges and refinements may be made without departing from itsprinciple, and I desire to consider all such changes and refinements ascoming within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ear muff comprising a fiat pocket memher having a pair ofsubstantially identical and substantially ear-shaped side walls, and aslitlike frontal opening in an edge of said member adapted for theinsertion of an ear therein, the rim of the frontal opening of thepocket incorporating an elastic element.

2. An ear mufi comprising a flat pocket member having a pair ofsubstantially identical and substantially ear-shaped side walls, and aslitlike frontal opening in an edge of said member adapted for theinsertion of an ear therein, the rim of the frontal opening of thepocket being constricted and incorporating an elastic element.

3. An ear mufi comprising a fiat pocket member having a pair ofsubstantially identical and substantially ear-shaped side walls, and aslitlike frontal opening in an edge of said member adapted for theinsertion of an ear therein, the rim of the frontal opening of thepocket being tucked inwardly to form a hem, and an endless band ofelastic material incorporated in the hem.

VICTOR R. JOHNSON.

